Chapter 229: A Stark Contrast
"What... is this?"
Qi Xia was stunned speechless.
"Hey! Come help out!" Qiao Jiajin shouted as he moved a copy of "himself." "Don't just stand there!"
Officer Li, Han Yimo, and Doctor Zhao snapped back to reality and walked over as well.
Yu Nian'an felt a bit frightened seeing the ground littered with corpses. She turned her head and said, "Xia, are we going to stay here?"
"Well..."
Looking at the pile of corpses emitting an overwhelming stench, Qi Xia felt dazed as well.
Last time, "Paradise Gate" had only thirty people in total, but just Qiao Jiajin and Li Xiangling's bodies alone amounted to thirty copies.
This was truly a scene of "carnage strewn across the land."
Lawyer Zhang kept backing away. She felt this place was very strange.
The people around her were also highly abnormal.
Didn't they realize what the problem was?
There were dead people here!
One by one... why were they moving the corpses as if nothing was wrong?!
Why weren't they terrified?!
The bodies lying on the ground... and the two people standing up—didn't they have the same faces?!
"No... I... I can't take it..." Lawyer Zhang shook her head forcefully. "I-I can't stay here any longer..."
Just as she was about to leave, Lin Qin grabbed her arm.
"Lawyer Zhang, if you wander around here on your own, you'll starve to death within a few days," Lin Qin said with a frown. "I know we look crazy, but you'll understand soon."
Meanwhile, Tiantian stood behind the group, silently trembling, but still didn't say a word.
Were these people really good people?
She hugged herself gently, feeling a chill.
Whether it was the scene before her that sent chills down her spine, or the fact that she was simply too lightly dressed, she couldn't stop shivering.
Just then, a piece of clothing was gently draped over her.
Tiantian was startled and quickly turned her head. She saw a strikingly beautiful girl standing beside her, smiling at her.
"Hello there, miss," the girl said with a smile. "Aren't you cold wearing so little?"
Tiantian swallowed, quickly taking off the clothes that had been placed on her shoulders. "D-Don't do that... I'm very dirty! If I get your clothes dirty..."
"No, you're not dirty." The girl shook her head and wrapped the clothes firmly around her. "Miss, my name is Yun Yao. What's yours?"
"I'm Zhang... I'm Tiantian." Tiantian lowered her head with a hint of inferiority. The girl in front of her seemed so bright and dazzling—a stark contrast to herself.
"Tiantian..." Yun Yao nodded with a smile. "That's a really pretty name."
Hearing this, Tiantian's expression grew even more dim. "No... it's not pretty. Actually, this name is what I used to do..."
"Before I came here, I was at home unemployed!" Yun Yao reached out and put her arm around Tiantian's shoulder, trying to warm her up. "What about you? Were you also unemployed at home?"
"I... ah, yes... unemployed, that's right." Tiantian nodded cautiously, afraid that saying the wrong thing would make others look down on her.
"Then we need to help each other," Yun Yao said with a relieved smile. "I'll take care of you from now on."
Tiantian didn't know what the girl's motives were. Who would be so kind to a stranger upon first meeting?
Was she a con artist?
But... could there be a con artist this beautiful?
"Y-Yun Yao-jie, you don't need to go out of your way to take care of me," Tiantian said with a bitter smile. "I'm a worthless person. I don't deserve such kindness."
"Shut up," Yun Yao said. "Don't call yourself worthless, and don't call me 'Yun Yao-jie.' Call me 'Xiao Yao.'"
"Xiao Yao...?" Tiantian was still puzzled. What was up with this girl?
"Come on, I'll take you to get something to eat." Yun Yao took Tiantian's hand and walked around the few people in front.
Yun Yao glanced at Qi Xia. "I'm not going to entertain you, so make yourself at home."
Though her words were dismissive, Qi Xia could tell that Yun Yao's expression had changed. Her once sparkling eyes were now tinged with a hint of confusion.
Qi Xia shook his head helplessly. He knew he owed Tiantian. This time, let Yun Yao protect her.
Not long after, except for Lawyer Zhang, everyone else stepped forward to help Qiao Jiajin and Li Xiangling move the bodies.
"What's going on here?" Qi Xia dragged a copy of Qiao Jiajin's body and asked Chu Tianqiu. "Why are there so many identical corpses?"
Chu Tianqiu wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Qi Xia, this is your masterpiece."
"What...?" Qi Xia paused. "My masterpiece?"
"Qi Xia, I think I made the right decision back then." A strange smile appeared on Chu Tianqiu's face. "I was absolutely right to say, 'I must make Qi Xia obtain the Echo.' As long as you're here, there's almost nothing we can't do."
Qi Xia set Qiao Jiajin's body on the ground and frowned. "What exactly is my 'Echo'?"
"Qi Xia..." Chu Tianqiu grabbed Qi Xia's hand excitedly. "It's 'Endless Vitality'!! How wonderful! With you here, what can't we accomplish?! I want to be your best friend for life!"
The man standing before him, beaming with joy, had indirectly caused Qi Xia's death last time.
Although he didn't know exactly what he and Xu Liunian had discussed, it was undoubtedly connected to him.
It was ironic. In this "Land of the End," full of deadly traps, Qi Xia had died twice—not from the "games," but from "people."
The "people" here were far more terrifying than the "Zodiacs."
After all, everyone had their own goals. Even those who seemed harmless could harbor lethal intentions.
"Endless Vitality..." Qi Xia repeated the four words, finally understanding everything.
The reason this place was filled with the corpses of Qiao Jiajin and Li Xiangling... was precisely because of his own "Echo."
Even though he had died, he had brought the power of the "Echo" back to the real world.
Deep in his subconscious, he had always hoped Qiao Jiajin and Li Xiangling would survive, so they really did "survive"...
But this result would make anyone's scalp crawl.
No matter how many times the attackers killed them, they would reappear as if nothing had happened, until the last enemy was eliminated.
So Yu Nian'an... was also created under this premise?
Qi Xia turned his head to look at Yu Nian'an in the distance.
But something still didn't add up...
He shook his head cautiously, feeling that if he kept thinking, he would break down again.
Chu Tianqiu spoke up again. "Qi Xia, I swear I'll never harm you again. You are the greatest asset on my path to 'divinity.'"
"Oh?" Qi Xia turned to look at him. "How can I help you?"
"Suppose I fail to become a 'god'... you can let me start over!" Chu Tianqiu's face was radiant with a joyful smile. "No matter how many times I die, as long as you're here..."
"But is the 'you' I create still you?" Qi Xia asked.
"Of course!" Chu Tianqiu nodded. "No matter which version of me it is, as long as it has my thoughts, it's the real me!"